Clash of the Titans
by Crimson Angel Sin
Summary: Kaname Kururugi makes do with life without the Inutachi, but every day such a thing becomes harder to do. Spurred into action by a gothic friend of hers, the Shikigami-user arrives at Higurashi Shrine in search of her time-traveling friend.
1. Wishful Thinking

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha _nor it's rpg _InuYasha: Secret of the Cursed Mask_._

* * *

**Chapter One–**

**Wishful Thinking**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

"Kaname. . ." an indistinct voice called out to her from the darkness. The schoolgirl swung this way and that as she searched for the owner of the voice. "Kaname. . .come back," it demanded. A familiar blue light appeared suddenly, shattering the black shadows surrounding Kaname.

"Wh-What?!" the young girl shouted as she dropped through a groundless space like a rock. "Aaaah!" she screamed, flailing her arms wildly in search of something to break her freefall. An abrupt stop jolted through her body as she landed hard on her back. Grimacing, Kaname slowly opened her eyes.

The familiar feeling of shock mixed with disappointment washed over the teenager as she stared up at the innocent-looking alarm clock on her night stand. Kaname released the breath she had unknowingly been holding and draped an arm across her sleep-encrusted eyes.

"Who am I kidding?" she asked aloud. She brought her arm down to reveal the sparking tears quickly forming in her chocolate-brown eyes. "Why do I keep dreaming about them? It's hard enough thinking about them when I'm awake. Do I have to endure that pain when I'm asleep, too?" Her sorrowful gaze traveled to the ceiling, fixing on a certain pictogram that she had fixed there two months prior. The familiar red star filled her vision, cutting through the blurriness her tears caused. Lately, Kaname had found herself calling upon her Shikigami powers at all hours of the night in an effort to pass through that crimson pentagram and back into the Feudal Era of Japan where her friends waited. Of course, ever since Utsugi–her long-lost ancestor–had returned her to her world, Kaname hadn't been successful in any attempt of summoning her Shikigami. It was as if her powers had gone back to sleep. . .or had been all used up. . . .

"No! No! No!" Kaname argued, shaking her head roughly. She glared at the red star on her ceiling, determination burning in her brown eyes. "I will _not_ give up! There must be some way to awaken my powers! Oh, I know!" The schoolgirl snapped up as an idea popped into her head. There were no guarantees, but it may just work. . . .

With a quick glance at the green numbers on her digital clock, Kaname started flying about the room collecting her school gear. She'd need to hurry if she wanted to get a chance to talk to _that_ person. . . .

* * *

"Ka-na-me! Late again! Congrats!" Miyazaru Miaki called out to her friend with a smile and a wave. Her waist-long, dark hair spilled loosely about her shoulders, dancing gently on the occasional stray breeze. "You're lucky you caught me this time!" she yelled, cupping her hands around her mouth to make certain her words were heard. She ignored the stares coming from passerby as she continued the one-sided conversation with her friend who stood on the other side of the street waiting for a break in traffic. "I decided to skip morning practice since I stayed up too late watching old samurai movies!" Miaki stopped her explanation so she could enjoy watching the scarlet blush staining Kururugi Kaname's cheeks. For some unknown reason, Miaki just could not resist causing mischief here and there every so often. And shouting across the traffic to her younger friend in a crowded place was always a hoot! After all, Miaki didn't mind the stares. . . .

"M-Miko-chan!" Kaname stuttered in response as she rushed across the black pavement as traffic finally thinned. "You really. . .shouldn't shout like that," the short-haired girl admonished as she caught her breath. "I really need to get more exercise!" Kaname commented out of the blue. It hadn't just been the short sprint across the busy road that Kaname had to go through, but the three blocks from her house as well! Needless to say, she was tired from all that running. _'InuYasha would be so upset with me. Being out of breath already,'_ she thought silently to herself, a small smile slipping onto her face.

"That dog-boy would be crying if he saw you now, wouldn't he?" Miko-chan asked as if picking up on Kaname's thoughts.

Kaname looked up at her in surprise but quickly recovered. "Crying? Nah! More like, he'd throw a temper tantrum and complain how weak I am," she corrected with a bright smile. Even though it hurt to think of them 24/7, it still brought a sense of happiness to talk about her friend from another time.

Miko-chan smirked, glad to bring a smile to her friend's lips. The girl had been so depressed lately. It had even begun to make _her_ feel pity! "Well, judging from what you've told me about him, that sounds about right." Spinning on her heel, Miko-chan began walking off in the direction of Kaname's school. "If you miss them so much, then why don't you just visit?" she asked logically.

"But they're in–" Kaname started, but Miaki cut her off.

"In the past, I know," Miko finished for her with an exaggerated roll of her sky-blue eyes. "I'm not talking about that," she explained, swinging around to glare at the schoolgirl. "Wasn't this Kagome-girl in our world? You get texts from her all the time."

Kaname shook her head even before Miko had finished her reasonable argument. She had already tried _that_ card.

"Kagome-san is hardly _ever_ home; and, when she is, she's too busy with school and such. I haven't seen her since I was in the past with everyone." Kaname held up her cell then, staring at the blank screen. "And the messages are getting shorter and growing farther apart. I haven't had a single one for a month now!" Tears began to gather in Kaname's eyes like they had that morning. A gentle hand rested on her shoulder then, causing Kaname to glance up into the sapphire eyes of Miko.

"I'm not talking about that," Miko repeated, but with a more-gentle tone. "You said that she uses a well to get to the Feudal Era, right?" She watched as realization dawned in Kaname's eyes. "It didn't work before because you had been summoned by someone else. But you still have spiritual power–awake or not–and that's how Kagome gets through the well. It's worth a shot, isn't it?" Miko smiled brightly, encouraging her friend to give her last hope a try. When Kaname gave a slight, hesitant nod of her head in answer, Miko silently cheered. _'Finally!_ _Now, I can see what lies in wait in their world full of demons and magic.' _Excitement pulsed through her veins, electrifying every part of her body as the prospect of adventure drew slowly nearer. . . .


	2. Flight

_Disclaimer: I do not own _InuYasha_. Damn. . . ._

_Crimson: **smiles nervously** It's been a while, ne? **dodges random flying objects** Waaaahhh! I'm sorry for being so lazy!_

_Miko: **stares at creator** That's what you get for making them wait so long. . . .**throws a lamp at Crimson** READ ON!_

_PS: When I get a review, I will update within two days! So REVIEW! please?  
_

* * *

**Chapter Two–**

**Flight**

**O.o.O.o.O.o.O.o.O**

Miko-chan brushed back a stray strand of hair as it fell into her blue eyes. She took in the sight before her; temporarily speechless at the gorgeous sunlit grounds of Higurashi Shrine. The hundreds of stairs at her back had been hell to climb. Her weakened knees were screaming at her in complaint, but she pushed the pain to the back of her mind. The beauty before her easily overcame any and all discomfort.

"It's pretty well-kept here," Kaname commented off-handedly.

Miko sweat-dropped. The comment totally undermined the exquisite scene laid out before them. _'Must be her eye of the Shrine Maiden,'_ the blue-eyed girl thought to herself, shaking her head in obvious disapproval. Miko had never visited a shrine before. Her "parents" had kept her on a short leash for the better part of her life (even home-schooling her!). Before Kaname, she never even had a friend. In fact, until Kaname crossed her path one fateful day, Miko-chan had only gone to practice and then straight home, with no stops in-between. Miaki had never even had a job, even though she was sixteen going on seventeen. . . .

"Maybe we should split up to search for the well?" Kaname asked Miaki. Although her own family watched over a shrine, Kaname, herself, had never visited others before. She had no clue where to start searching for the Bone-Eater's Well. And, unfortunately, a crowd had begun to gather on the grounds. It looked like some sort of festival was about to start . . . .

"Instead of the well, maybe you should look for Kagome," Miko-chan proposed, scanning the bustling crowd with a pained expression.

Kaname glanced over at her in confusion. "Huh? But Kagome–" she started but was once again cut off by her friend.

"Should be here," the other girl verified. "Look, it's only logical that a shrine maiden help out when there's a festival at her family's designated shrine. You should know that," Miko-chan pointed out, sending her friend a smug look.

"Um, well, I guess you're right," Kaname gave in with a sigh. It did make sense. Kagome _should _be here to help. It was expected of every member of a family that guarded a shrine. Even Kaname herself held such responsibilities. . . . "Well then, I will look for Kagome-san. You can look for the well, okay?" she glanced over at Miko to see if her suggestion was the appropriate one. At Miko's satisfied smile and nod, Kaname supposed that it was. "Alright then. I'll meet you back here in ten minutes!" Kaname declared before rushing off in the direction of the main house. The bright-yellow of her school uniform soon disappeared into the sea of brightly-colored kimonos, leaving Miko–decked out in black and dark-violet–alone at the top of the shrine steps.

With a relieved sigh, Miko stretched her lean-muscled arms above her head, ignoring the stares she received from several teenage boys. Cringing at the heat of the sun as it burned her snow-white skin, the young woman set off in search of the well. She figured she'd find it in the center of the pulsating spiritual power she could feel sweeping across the shrine grounds. Although there were two such entities possessing such incredible auras, Miko easily pinpointed one of them to be the _Goshinboku_ ("God-Tree") that stood nearby the _torii_ gates. Obviously, that was no well. . . .

_'I feel bad for leaving Kaname-chan behind,'_ Miko admitted to herself, trying to cause a distraction as she pushed and prodded her way through the humans, _'but I need to do this!' _The spark of determination in her soul suddenly roared to life, transforming into a raging inferno in a matter of seconds.

She had no time to waste. A moment longer in this world would send Miko-chan into a wild frenzy. It had taken all her precious strength to hold out for this long!

An electric jolt had Miko snapping back to reality. Unknowingly, she had slipped into the well-house, silent and undetected. Raising a hand to her forehead, Miko-chan gave herself a hard flick as punishment for daydreaming. "I really shouldn't do that in public areas anymore," she grumbled, rubbing the bridge of her nose as she felt a headache form behind her eyes. "Oh well, I met my objective." Miko smirked as she stared down the stairs and into the darkness of the little shack. She could just make out the well which rested innocently at the base of the stairwell.

"See ya on the other side, Shrine Maiden!" Miko bade, not taking her eyes off the inky depths of the legendary well. Without a backwards glance, the teenage girl kicked off from the top step and into the air. She dove, head-first, into a blue light, grinning all the while . . . .

* * *

"Kagome? Kagome!" Kaname cried out in excitement and joy as she spotted her dear friend. As she sprinted across the courtyard to the raven-haired teen, skillfully dodging people, Kaname watched as first curiosity then shock and, finally, happiness passed over the older girl's face.

"Kaname!" Kagome Higurashi–the time-traveling miko–exclaimed, dropping the box of amulets she had been carrying and rushing over to meet her old friend. "Long time, no see, Kaname-san," she greeted with as big a grin as her face would allow.

"Yeah!" Kaname laughed as she was pulled into a hug. She returned it with what little strength her arms possessed. "I've missed you so much! How is everyone back in the Feudal Era?" She pulled back just enough so that she could eagerly watch Kagome's expression.

"They're doing great," the older schoolgirl spoke with a smile, but her chocolate-colored eyes drifted off to the side which Kaname easily caught.

"What's wrong, Kagome-san?" the Shikigami-user asked, feeling a knot of worry forming in the pit of her stomach. "Did something happen?"

The smile on the miko's lips slowly faded as her thoughts turned back to the past–at what had transpired just a few days after Naraku's defeat and Kaname's abrupt departure. "Well. . . ."


End file.
